1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to devices for cooking bread articles and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to devices for cooking hot dog buns.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of bread articles as edible containers for other types of food is well known. A particular example is the hot dog bun in which a weiner or sausage and various condiments, such as for example, chili and/or relish, are disposed within the enlongated hot dug bun. In the past, it has been common to slit hot dog buns to permit access to their interiors so that the weiner and the condiments may be placed within the bun. It is also known to cook buns with a preformed pocket, such as the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,974,204, issued to Cooter on Sept. 18, 1934, and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,840, issued to Bolte on Mar. 16, 1976, for example.
One problem encountered with use of a bread article as a container for other foods was that the article was prone to leak fluid or semi-fluid condiments, such as for example, the chili in a hot dog. One solution to this problem was to severly limit access to the interior of the bread article or hot dog bun. However, this particular solution often interferes with the use to be made with the article. When access to the interior of the article was limited, it became difficult to achieve an even distribution of foodstuffs within the article; for example, it became difficult to evenly distribute both chili and onions in a hot dog bun having such limited access. Thus, limiting access to the interior of the bread article, while solving the problem of leakage, has heretofore introduced other problems.